Self‐efficacy or perceived behavioural control: Which influences consumers' physical activity and healthful eating behaviour maintenance?

This research investigated the role of a commercial program, Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (MB12WBT), that uses a variety of tools including social support to influence weight management behaviours such as exercising and eating healthfully. The need for research into weight management remains current given obesity rates have continued to increase in recent decades. Weight management is a complex behaviour that for many consumers involves barriers that influence their commitment to continue exercising and eating healthily. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is frequently used to explain, and to a lesser extent predict, behaviours such as physical activity and healthy eating; however, there is much debate as to whether a perceived behavioural control variable or self‐efficacy is the best predictor of behaviour. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse data from a sample of 724 respondents who answered a baseline and three month follow‐up survey. The analysis revealed self‐efficacy and perceived behavioural control were two distinct constructs. Self‐efficacy was a better predictor of behaviour than perceived behavioural control variables as suggested in the original Theory of Planned Behaviour. Furthermore, self‐efficacy had a significant impact on exercising and eating healthfully behaviour. The findings and implications for both behaviour change theory and practice are discussed.     

The Relevance of Self‐Evaluations for Students' Career Optimism

This study investigated how people's beliefs regarding their vocational abilities (i.e., career decision self‐efficacy) are associated with their perceived academic control, self‐liking, and self‐competence. It also assessed the relevance of these 4 types of self‐beliefs for personal job optimism among 268 Croatian college students. Results indicated that participants' career decision self‐efficacy and perceptions of their chances of finding jobs nationwide were significant predictors of personal job optimism. Furthermore, the influences of self‐competence and perceived academic control on personal job optimism were mediated by career decision self‐efficacy. These results extend previous research and may be informative for vocational guidance interventions.     

The Role of Perceived Employability,Core Self-Evaluations,and Job Resources on Health and Turnover Intentions

According to Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigated the explanatory role of perceived employability, over and above core self-evaluations (CSE) and job resources, in relation to different aspects of health (physical and mental) and turnover intentions. Based on data obtained from a sample of 274 Romanian blue-collar employees (59.5% men), hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that perceived employability adds a significant variance compared to variance due to CSE and job resources with respect to aspects of health and turnover. The results highlight the role of perceived employability in health – on an individual level, and in decisions to leave the organization – on an organizational level. The findings are of value because they inform organizations how to design human resources strategies in order to retain a healthy workforce.     

产品也会皱眉头? 产品的“侵略性表情”对消费者的影响

消费者经常在产品外观设计中看到"表情",这些由企业有意或无意塑造的面孔元素会影响到消费者对产品的态度。当前,关于产品外观表情对消费者态度影响方面的研究仍存在结论不一致、机制不明确和边界不清楚等问题。本研究通过3次分离的实验,验证了对于奢侈程度较高的产品(品牌),侵略性的表情相较友好的表情,更能够获得消费者的青睐;而对于奢侈程度较低的产品(品牌),则恰好相反。同时,不同的产品外观(品牌标识)表情是通过消费者对产品的感知自治程度这一中介变量对消费者态度产生影响。本研究结论为产品外观设计和品牌管理实践提供了有益的建议。     

No blank slates: Pre-existing schemas about pharmaceuticals predict memory for side effects

Objectives: Attribution of symptoms as medication side effects is informed by pre-existing beliefs about medicines and perceptions of personal sensitivity to their effects (pharmaceutical schemas). We tested whether (1) pharmaceutical schemas were associated with memory (recall/recognition) for side effect information (2) memory explained the attribution of a common unrelated symptom as a side effect.

Design: In this analogue study participants saw the patient leaflet of a fictitious asthma drug listing eight side effects.

Main outcome measures: We measured recall and recognition memory for side effects and used a vignette to test whether participants attributed an unlisted common symptom (headache) as a side effect.

Results: Participants who perceived pharmaceuticals as more harmful in general recalled fewer side effects correctly (r_{Correct Recall} = ?.273), were less able to differentiate between listed and unlisted side effects (r_{Recognition Sensitivity} = ?.256) and were more likely to attribute the unlisted headache symptom as a side effect (r_{side effect attribution} = .381, ps < .01). The effect of harm beliefs on side effect attribution was partially mediated by correct recall of side effects.

Conclusion: Pharmaceutical schemas are associated with memory for side effect information. Memory may explain part of the association between pharmaceutical schemas and the attribution of unrelated symptoms as side effects.     

Evaluating Effort: Influences of Evaluation Mode on Judgments of Task‐specific Efforts

The claim that humans adapt their actions in ways that avoid effortful processing (whether cognitive or physical) is a staple of various theories of human behavior. Although much work has been carried out focusing on the determinants of such behaviors, less attention has been given to how individuals evaluate effort. In the current set of experiments, we utilized the general evaluability theory to examine the evaluability of effort by examining subjective value functions across different evaluation modes. Individuals judged the anticipated effort of four task‐specific efforts indexed by stimulus rotation, items to be remembered, weight to be lifted, and stimulus degradation across joint (i.e., judged comparatively) and single evaluation modes (i.e., judged in isolation). General evaluability theory hypothesizes that highly evaluable attributes should be consistently evaluated (i.e., demonstrate similar subjective value functions) between the two modes. Across six experiments, we demonstrate that the perceived effort associated with items to be remembered, weight to be lifted, and stimulus degradation can be considered relatively evaluable, while the effort associated with stimulus rotation may be relatively inevaluable. Results are discussed within the context of subjective evaluation, internal reference information, and strategy selection. In addition, methodological implications of evaluation modes are considered. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genetic and Environmental Pathways Underlying Personality Traits and Perceived Stress: Concurrent and Longitudinal Twin Studies

The present study examined the genetic and environmental etiology underlying the Big Five personality traits and perceived stress, concurrently and longitudinally. In study 1, we used the twin sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health IV) data. The results indicated that about 70% of the association between the Big Five personality traits and perceived stress was due to genetic influences. In study 2, we used the twin sample from the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS I and II) to examine the genetic and environmental influences underlying the longitudinal relations between the Big Five personality traits and perceived stress. The results suggested that continuity in perceived stress was primarily accounted for by genetic influences, and changes in perceived stress were mainly due to nonshared environmental influences. The continuity in the association between the five personality traits and perceived stress was largely accounted for by genetic factors, and nonshared environmental factors made greater contributions to changes in the association between personality traits and perceived stress. Among the Big Five personality traits, the genetic components in conscientiousness and neuroticism made substantial contributions to the genetic link between personality traits and perceived stress across both studies. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology     

流动儿童消极学业情绪对学习自我效能感的影响:情绪调节策略的调节作用

以397名流动儿童为被试,采用问卷法考察流动儿童消极学业情绪对学习自我效能感的影响以及情绪调节策略在其中的调节作用。结果表明：（1）流动儿童学业情绪对控制感的负向预测作用高于对基本能力感的预测作用,其中有恼火、羞愧、无助对基本能力感预测作用显著;认知重评对基本能力感预测作用显著,并且认知重评情绪调节策略对恼火、沮丧与基本能力感的关系有调节作用,而表达抑制对无助与基本能力感的关系有调节作用。（2）流动儿童学业情绪中除恼火外,焦虑、羞愧、厌倦、无助、沮丧和心烦对控制感的预测作用均显著。认知重评和表达抑制均对控制感的预测作用显著,并且认知重评与羞愧、厌倦、沮丧的调节作用显著,表达抑制与沮丧的调节作用显著。     

组织支持感对组织认同的影响:内部人身份感知和自尊的中介作用

检验了内部人身份感知(PIS)和基于组织的自尊(OBSE)在组织支持感(POS)对组织认同的影响过程中的角色和地位。采用多样本结构方程建模的方法,通过对中国2家企业的员工的问卷调查所获取的452份有效数据进行分析,结果表明:(1)POS对PIS和OBSE有直接的显著影响;(2)同时借助于PIS和OBSE的中介作用对组织认同产生间接的影响。